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Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

These Asian turkey lettuce wraps are sure to make your mouth-water! It's a quick and easy recipe that's fun to eat and full of protein! They provide a fresh and low carbohydrate alternative to common flour or corn based wraps. We believe that the best lettuce to use for wraps is Boston lettuce (a type of butter lettuce) due to its large, soft, and beautifully cupped leaves. It also has a fantastic crisp consistency and a neutral flavour that's perfect to wrap your filling in.

These Asian turkey lettuce wraps are one of our favourite dinner recipes! You can eat a lot of it without feeling too heavy afterwards. They are also great for making family style meals or dinner parties more interactive as everyone can build their own wrap! This recipe was inspired by the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps created by JoyFoodSunshine.

Plate of bright green lettuce wraps with ground turkey.
The contrasting colours of the golden brown meat against the bright green leaves look S T U N N I N G!

NUTRITION FACTS

  • Turkey vs. Chicken: we chose to use ground turkey over ground chicken because it contains less calories and fat, and more protein! Turkey also has a richer flavour that works really well against the lighter flavour of the Boston lettuce.
  • Bell peppers: we added red and orange bell peppers because they're the most nutrient dense and sweetest! Did you know that red bell peppers have 2-3 times more Vitamin C than an orange?!
  • Water chestnuts: this popular ingredient is seen a lot in Chinese cuisine. We used canned water chestnuts because they're a lot easier to find than fresh ones. They are crispy in texture, almost flavourless (canned ones), and add a nice crunch to the soft meaty filling. Water chestnuts are full of nutrients, contain high concentrations of antioxidants, and are low in calories as they're 74% water. This means they can keep you fuller for longer while consuming less calories.
  • Peanuts: I love topping off my lettuce wrap with a handful of crushed peanuts. We used a mortar and pestle to break them up into small pieces. Some people believe that peanuts are not as nutritionally valuable as the more expensive nuts such as almonds or cashews; however, peanuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Peanuts also have the highest protein content of any nut! They can lower cholesterol and won't spike up your blood sugar because they're a low-glycemic food.

For added crunch and acidity, try adding some pickled carrots and daikon in your wrap!

Cooking Method
Cuisine
Courses , , ,
Difficulty Beginner
Time
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 30 mins
Servings 8
Best Season Summer
Description

This 30-minute Asian turkey lettuce wrap recipe is both healthy and delicious. It is great for making family style meals or dinner parties more interactive as everyone can build their own wrap! 

Lettuce wraps provide a fresh, low carbohydrate alternative to common flour or corn based wraps that won't leave you feeling heavy. The sweetness coming from the peanut butter, bell peppers, and onions alongside the saltiness of the Asian sauces and tender turkey make this a truly mouth-watering experience. 

Ingredients
    Sauce
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium if possible)
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp peanut butter (smooth)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
    • Filling
  • 2 lb ground turkey
  • 2 bell peppers (red or orange)
  • 1 can water chestnuts (diced)
  • 1 yellow onion (can sub. for white)
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil (canola, peanut, or vegetable)
    • To Serve
  • 1 Boston lettuce (can sub. for any other lettuce)
  • 1 cup crushed peanuts (unsalted)
Instructions
    Sauce

  1. Microwave the peanut butter for 15 seconds or until soft.

  2. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic powder, ginger powder, sweat Thai chili sauce, and hoisin sauce into a bowl.

  3. Whisk everything together with a fork, whisk or chopsticks.

    4. Wraps

  4. Add cooking oil to large non-stick pan and bring up to medium heat.

  5. Add one pound of ground turkey and break it up into pieces while cooking in the pan for 3 minutes. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon for this.

    We are cooking each half of the turkey separately so that the pan is not too crowded. If the pan is too crowded the turkey will steam/boil instead of crisp up and brown.

  6. Remove some of the turkey juices from the pan using a spoon. This will help the meat get crispy and brown instead of boiling.

  7. Continue cooking the turkey for another 3 minutes or until lightly browned. At this point refrain from moving the meat in the pan so that it can crisp a little.

  8. Transfer the meat to a plate or bowl. You can optionally line the plate/bowl with paper towel to keep the meat crispy.

  9. Repeat previous steps with the second half of the turkey, and set aside once cooked.

  10. Add diced onions to pan  and cook over medium heat until translucent. ~5 min.

  11. Add bell peppers and water chestnuts and cook 2 min.

  12. Add all the cooked turkey to the pan.

  13. Turn off heat. Drizzle sauce over contents of pan.
Keywords: simple, easy, prep, wrap, lettuce, peanut, turkey, quick, Asian, gluten-free
Read it online: https://themaincourse.ca/recipe/asian-turkey-lettuce-wraps/
Robbie and Doris